Prepare Your Home for Harmful Hail
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – During Tornado Awareness Month in April, homeowners nationwide should take steps to prepare their families and their homes for the potential of severe weather, including damaging hail.
“Personal safety is the top priority, and people should definitely follow instructions from local officials during severe weather conditions,” says Ray Rosewall, CEO and president of DaVinci Roofscapes®. “However, preparing your home is a different matter. That’s a situation you can control by planning ahead and installing an impact-resistant roof to help protect your house and its valuable contents.”
Hail and Roofs
During a hail event, the most vulnerable place on your home is the roof. Whether pea-sized or baseball-sized, hail falling from the sky can cause major damage to asphalt shingles, cement and concrete roofs, ceramic and metal roofs.
“Imagine a baseball being dropped from an airplane at about 30,000 feet,” says Rosewall. “As it falls to the ground it gains speed and can hit a roof at about 120 mph. That’s the kind of impact some hail storms can have on roofs. One of the best ways to protect your home and family from those conditions is to install an impact-resistant polymer roof.”
DaVinci roofing tiles replicate slate and shingle style roofs but are manufactured from a proprietary engineered polymer. The company’s manmade roof tiles are made of multiple virgin ThermoPlastic Olefin (TPO) resins, organic fire retardants, state-of-the-art colors and UV stabilizers, and inorganic pigments that are safe for the environment. Made to withstand hail and other severe weather, DaVinci roofing tiles are Class 4 impact rated, meeting the UL 2218 Impact Test. The tiles are backed by a limited 50-year warranty and are 100 percent recyclable.
DaVinci tiles have successfully been independently tested to resist straight line winds at 110 mph. The products have also passed the TAS-125 certification test for wind uplift resistance in High Velocity Hurricane Zones and the TAS-100 certification test for wind-driven rain.
Protection from the Storm
Repeated hail storms and severe weather in Blanchard, Okla., convinced homeowner Kathy Bradshaw that it was time to invest in a polymer roof early in 2010.
“Our Bellaforté roof is holding up fine,” says Bradshaw. “The research we did before having the DaVinci roof installed really paid off. We wanted a roof that would stand up to the severe weather conditions we experience in our state. Our decision to invest in synthetic roofing tiles proved wise based on the terrible storms we had in 2010.”
According to the National Weather Forecast Office, hail — which most often occurs with severe weather from March through September — causes one billion dollars in damage to crops and property each year. The NOAA relates that a single hail storm in Kansas City in April of 2001 doubled that figure and cost two billion dollars in damages.
In the City of Nichols Hills, Okla., Police Chief Richard Mask issued a statement to residents after a severe storm in 2010 hit the area. His observation included praise for synthetic roofs that easily survived the storms. “We have noticed that the roofs … made to look like slate, were undamaged while other roofs were completely destroyed, particularly slate roofs,” according to Chief Mask’s statement.
Roofing installer Jim Hofegartner believes the storm Chief Mask referred to was the worst hail storm he’s witnessed during his 35 years as a roofer. “There were grapefruit-sized hail and 60 mph winds that pounded our area,” says Hofegartner, president of Central Roofing and Construction Company in Luther, Okla. “A DaVinci Aberdeen slate roof we installed a few weeks before the storms in Nichols Hills received minimal damage — especially compared to the concrete tile roof next door that was totally destroyed.”
DaVinci Roofscapes has manufactured award-winning synthetic slate and shake roofing since 1999. The polymer roofing tiles are virtually maintenance free and far more cost effective than the natural product. DaVinci leads the industry in tile thickness, the tile width variety and the greatest selection of subtle earth-toned colors. DaVinci proudly makes its products in America and is a member of the National Association of Home Builders, the Cool Roof Rating Council and the U.S. Green Building Council. For additional information call 1-800-328-4624 or visit our website.